Duchene leads the Senators in scoring, with 12 goals and 22 assists and he had netted eight goals and 14 assists in his previous 14 games.

Ryan left the game late in the first period with what was described as an “upper body” injury — possibly a concussion — following a collision with Canadiens defenceman Brett Kulak.

Asked, immediately after the game, whether there is a concern that the injuries could be long-term, Senators coach Guy Boucher said, “could be”.

As for the defeat, it was an all too familiar story for the Senators.

The Senators were determined to start faster and to not let the game get away from them, as they did in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss in Montreal.

Montreal Canadiens celebrate a goal by teammate Andrew Shaw (65) during second period NHL hockey action against the Ottawa Senators, in Ottawa on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018.

For all that, the second period Thursday looked like deja-vu all over again.

The Canadiens dominated in the second frame, forcing the Senators’ young defence into mistake after mistake, turning a 1-1 game into a 3-1 advantage.

It was a particularly tough night for Thomas Chabot, but he was hardly alone.

Senators goaltender Craig Anderson held the fort for the longest time, but he couldn’t do much to stop the 2-on-1 breaks that allowed the Canadiens to jump ahead.

First, it was Byron, who finished off a Phillip Danault pass for his first of the night.

Then there was an Andrew Shaw goal, which came after he was fed a cross-crease pass from Jonathan Drouin.

Colin White of the Ottawa Senators battles for position against Mike Reilly of the Montreal Canadiens as Ben Harpur of the Ottawa Senators holds off Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

“Any time you lose to Montreal, it stings a little bit more,” said Colin White, who had a goal and an assist for the Senators. “We made a couple of mistakes and it cost us gain.”

White’s late second period power play goal narrowed the gap to 3-2, but the Senators had little push in the third. Brendan Gallagher made it 4-2 early in the period and Byron ice the game by scoring into an empty net with 2:32 remaining. The Canadiens outshot the Senators 19-3 in the third period.

“It’s tough to come back in this league, especially when you’re down two bodies up front and we were chasing for the whole thing period,” said Mark Stone.

The game was deadlocked 1-1 after the first, after Stone and the Canadiens’ Nicolas Deslaurier exchanged goals only 20 seconds apart.

If the opening few moments were all about Price’s outstanding work in the Canadiens net, the second half of the period was all about Anderson keeping the game tied.

Price’s highlights included stoning Magnus Paajarvi twice around the four-minute mark and making a fantastic trapper save off Brady Tkachuk.

Only seconds after the Tkachuk save, however, Stone caught the top of the net after White cleanly won a faceoff Danault.

Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates his third period goal as the puck bounces in off the leg of Craig Anderson and Ben Harpur can’t reach the puck to stop it crossing the goal line in the third period on Thursday.

On the ensuing shift, though, Deslauriers’ floater from the blue line sailed over Anderson’s trapper, tying the game and leaving Anderson shaking his head.

From there, Anderson owned the remainder of the first as the Canadiens picked up their pace.

He earned a few “And-ee, And-ee” chants from the crowd after making a pair of superb stops off Brendan Gallagher twice within 30 seconds.

But the fans left the rink wondering just how long the Senators could be without Duchene and Ryan.

Mark Stone #61 of the Ottawa Senators celebrates his first period goal against the Montreal Canadiens with teammates on the bench at Canadian Tire Centre on December 6, 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

LIVING THE LIFEThe “hockey life,” as Luke Richardson refers to his gig as a behind-the-scenes assistant coach, continues.

After spending last year with the New York Islanders, Richardson — the former Senators defenceman and former head coach of the Senators AHL’s franchise —has adjusted seamlessly into his new role as Claude Julien’s assistant with the Montreal Canadiens.

“Another move this summer for (wife) Steph and I, but that’s the hockey life, we’re used to it. It’s been good. We’re really enjoying Montreal.”

Ottawa Senators’ Cody Ceci #5 of the Ottawa Senators checks Jonathan Drouin #92 of the Montreal Canadiens in the second period at Canadian Tire Centre on December 6, 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

DIFD LIVES ONWherever the Richardsons go, of course, the movement to draw attention to mental health issues goes with them.

The Do It For Daron campaign, inspired by the death of the Richardsons’ daughter, Daron, in 2010, has given rise to the Bell Let’s Talk initiative. DIFD has also become a central part of the Royal Ottawa’s Foundation for Mental Health.

“Steph has been back a couple times already this year,” Richardson said, including taking part in a workshop with Department of National Defence employees, which broke down the stigma of talking about depression.

HELPING OTHERSRichardson believes they’ve helped save lives.

“Our situation is not going to change,” he said. “We were going to have our sad days and our tough times and we still do, but that’s never going to change, so why not try and make something positive and help other people? I think it has done some good.”

The hockey community continues to unite behind the effort. The Islanders held a DIFD night last season. The Richardsons and the Canadiens are working out details for a DIFD-themed night this season. Countless NHL players, including Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, have donated considerable time and energy to the campaign. Without any prompting, Crosby signed a game-used, purple-taped stick — which had a couple of dozen points in it — and donated it to the DIFD movement to be auctioned off.

Through it all, Ottawa will always be home. Richardson’s parents continue to live here. Luke, Steph and daughter Morgan, currently teaching high school in Boston, will be back here for Christmas.

Brendan Gallagher #11 of the Montreal Canadiens runs over Craig Anderson #41 of the Ottawa Senators after making a save as teammates Zack Smith #15, Cody Ceci #5 and Justin Falk #42 of the Ottawa Senators defend the net at Canadian Tire Centre in the third period on December 6, 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

MORE CROSBY CONNECTIONSWhen the Penguins paid their first visit to Ottawa on Nov. 17, Crosby was out of the lineup with an injury. That meant he didn’t go head-to-head against Senators rookie Drake Batherson, who went on to pick up a pair of assists in his second NHL game. Batherson, Crosby and Boston’s Brad Marchand skate together in Halifax during the summer, but Batherson has never played in a game against either.

Come Saturday, though, a healthy Crosby should in the Penguins lineup.

“It would be great if I was able to play against him,” said Batherson, who went into Thursday’s game with three goals and four assists in the first five home games of his career. “We were texting the last time and we were going to get together and meet up, but they left immediately after the game.

“And the same thing with Brad Marchand (and Boston) Saturday. It will be fun, for sure.”

Batherson might be the only person outside of Boston who describes playing against Marchand as “fun”. Others use more colourful words to describe him.

Jonathan Drouin #92 of the Montreal Canadiens shoves Maxime Lajoie #58 of the Ottawa Senators as Zack Smith #15 of the Ottawa Senators looks on in the second period at Canadian Tire Centre on December 6, 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

SETTLING IN, SORT OFNewest Senators defenceman Justin Falk, who played his third contest in his new uniform Thursday, says he’s slowly settling into his new environment. He says friends and family who continue to live near his speck-on-the-map hometown of Snowflake, Man., have appreciated him talking up the community.

Given the unknowns of his current situation, he’s not about to move his wife and three kids — all under 4 1/2 years old — from their current home in Winkler, Man., just yet … Max Lajoie, who had been pushing to return after being out of the lineup with an injury since Dec. 1, took the pre-game skate, but was not in the lineup … Senators coach Guy Boucher also went with the same forward group as Tuesday, meaning that Max McCormick sat out his sixth consecutive game as a healthy scratch. Since Nov. 11, McCormick has seen 5:11 of ice time. Given the injuries to Duchene and Ryan, McCormick should get a chance to play Saturday against Pittsburgh.

Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens makes a save against the Ottawa Senators in the second period at Canadian Tire Centre on December 6, 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

RESPECTING THE OPPONENTIf fans and/or opponents scoffed at Max Domi’s goal totals with the Arizona Coyotes — nine in each of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons — Duchene says they had no clue.

“Domi brings a different element to that team,” he said before the game. “People that judged him by his stats coming into this season were very wrong. He’s got a lot of talent and he’s showing what he can do.”

The Domi-Jonathan Drouin-Artturi Lehkonen trio combined for four goals and seven points Tuesday … After TV cameras clearly caught Domi mouthing “waivers” in Zack Smith’s direction Thursday, it’s safe to assume that Domi will, at some point in the future, be on the wrong end of a more than a verbal cheap shot.

HISTORIC DAYOn Dec. 5, 1990, the Senators were officially invited back into the NHL, along with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, 28 years later, it’s the Lightning that are sitting atop the NHL standings, averaging 19,092 fans per home game for the past four seasons, playing to 100% capacity over and over and over again. Who would have guessed?

Jeff Petry #26 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates his first period goal with teammates Michael Chaput #43, Nicolas Deslauriers #20 and David Schlemko #21 as Thomas Chabot #72 of the Ottawa Senators looks on at Canadian Tire Centre on December 6, 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED1. The Canadiens are faster than the Senators

If there was any doubt after Tuesday’s victory, Montreal punctuated their speed edge with another convincing win in Ottawa Thursday.

2. The Senators depth will be tested

With Ottawa staring at the potential long-term loss of both Matt Duchene and Bobby Ryan, expect call-ups from Belleville.

3. Price has Tkachuk’s number

Carey Price robbed Brady Tkachuk of a first-period goal. This comes after Tkachuk rang the post twice in Montreal on Tuesday.

4. Growing pains for Chabot

Thomas Chabot knew there were going to be bumps along the road, but he has hit a roadblock in recent games, struggling with Montreal’s pressure.

5. No rest for the struggling

After the consecutive losses to the Canadiens, the Senators are now facing a weekend with both Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins coming to town.